Neil Lennon poised to accept Celtic's "life-changing" offer to become the Parkhead club's manager again

NEIL Lennon is set to accept Celtic’s offer to become the Parkhead club’s next manager in the coming days after leading them to a William Hill Scottish Cup final triumph over Hearts and a historic treble treble.

Lennon, who took over from Brendan Rodgers on a temporary basis in February, was told the Glasgow club wanted him to take on the job permanently by chief executive Peter Lawwell in the dressing room at Hampden following a dramatic 2-1 triumph.

The Northern Irishman, who held the position between 2010 and 2014, will head off to Marbella on Monday to help his agent Martin Reilly celebrate his 50th birthday. But he expects negotiations to be swiftly concluded on his return to Scotland. “I think that there is a good chance that I will accept the job,” he said.

Asked what the chance to manage Celtic for a second time meant to him, Lennon said: “Everything. It is a privilege. It was a privilege the first time. That was nine years ago. I was younger and a bit more robust. Now I have come full circle. I left the club on good terms and I always to come back and manage again.

“It has been hard work. I had a difficult time at Bolton for reasons not within football and then I had a great couple of years at Hibs. I owe them a debt of gratitude for giving me the platform to get back into this position again.

“I never second guessed anything. These guys are class people. I trust them and trust their word and I expected nothing else. Obviously, we have had to deal with a lot of speculation and a lot of false news, but they kept me abreast of everything and they were upfront and honest. If anyone has ever dealt with Dermot Desmond they will know you get what you see.”

Asked if the uncertainty over his future in recent weeks had been difficult to deal with, Lennon said: “No, it keeps you on your toes. It was challenging, but I have complete trust in these guys. I had four great years working under the board, four great years, great time and when the time came we sat down and shook hands and left on very cordial terms.

“I have always kept in touch with Peter and he has kept an eye on my career and been a great support to me.”

Lennon revealed how the news was broken to him that the board want to keep him on. He said: "In the dressing-room, covered in champagne, with Dermot (major shareholder Desmond), the chairman (Ian Bankier) and Tom Allison (non-executive director). I was dripping in champagne. We had a five-minute conversation that could be life-changing for me.”

Lennon has had spells in the dugout at Bolton and Hibernian since standing down from the Celtic job five years ago and feels he has more to offer the Parkhead club this time around.

"I’m a bit more rounded I think,” he said. “I've had highs and lows, which is good, more experienced, a bit more nous about the game and maybe not as aggressive as I once was but I'm still very competitive and still want to win.

“I've had to learn on the job here about myself, it was a different piece of management this time because it didn't feel like it was mine and I had to coax it and cajole and get it over the line as best as I could.”

Celtic chief executive Lawwell said: “I'm delighted to announce that after today’s events we’ve offered Neil the job to be permanent manager. It’s a fantastic day, a fantastic achievement, probably never to be repeated.

“In our moment of need, Neil stood up to the plate. He's done a fantastic job in difficult circumstances and really when you look at his credentials. He's made for Celtic, he's a Celtic man, he knows Glasgow, he knows what’s required, and he's a winner.

“And at this point in terms for looking at the squad, there’s no-one I've worked with who has a better eye for a player. So we’re delighted to announce he’s been offered the job and over the next few days we’ll work out the details. I think it's better to do that tonight to kill the speculation.

“I'm sure he’ll be positive but we just need to work out the details. Today was a big occasion for him but Neil would still have been the manager, no matter what happened today.”

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